The IIMB Campus

Not much has been written about our amazing campus, which is arguably the best among the IIMs in terms of scenic beauty. IIM Kozhikode comes close, but you gotta take a more holistic view on this 🙂 Of course to supplement my post will be aaampble photographs.

Our campus has been beautifully designed to keep the worst of Bangalore where it belongs – outside the campus. The moment you pass through the gates of our campus, pure calm envelopes you, a cool zephyr re-energises you, and you feel relieved to come out of the grime of the Bangalore traffic. (Ok, this is maybe taking it a bit too far… 😀 but you do experience relief)

L^2 during spring. This picture started a series of posts on BRacket, when a lot of shadow poets and lovers of natural beauty crept out of the woodwork.

Starting with the focal point of the hostel, the L^2, which blooms in spring, and booms (forgive my alliteration) during some nights on the weekends.

The most happening spot at IIMB – an L^2 party in progress.

The L^2 is an institution at IIMB, a legacy passed down from CulSecy to CulSecy over batches, who gets to decide when to hold parties there. Being, at such a stressful place, these things are on the roti, kapda, room scale – so you realise how important the L^2 is to the survival of some of us.

If you boil it down to what it is, a streetball court, or half a basket ball court to some, it isn’t much. But, life at our campus has L^2 interwoven into it so much that, if you take it away, it won’t be the same anymore. e.g., birthday’s wouldn’t be the same, if L^2 hadn’t been there.

Poor Kenny! – One of the most endearing traditions at IIMB: Hooshing.

At first glance, the disused basketball board gives it all away: the well worn marks on the hoop where the disco ball is hung every night clearly says that not much basket ball would have ever been played there. Or the well worn spot where the speakers and the DJs have sat, with their nimble fingers mixing tunes, perfectly out of time, can only mean one thing.

DJ Wars – Fighting it out for one of the most stressful jobs on campus.

But leaving L^2 for now, the rest of our campus isn’t so bad at all. The campus has been amazingly landscaped, and looks just like a resort, (some students haven’t still come out of the delusion, including yours truly). The mess frontage, as you can see, is pretty well done, and is one of the big reasons why most of us have our meals outside the mess over here.

Outside our mess

In the many photographs above, you would have noticed that IIMB, to put it mildly, without being too longwinded, (deep breath) looks a little unfinished. Well according to my civil engineer friend (who appears in the photo with me below) it is pretty much finished, with the choicest of granite all over the place! Beat that!

Anupam Kumar Maharaj

Now that one thinks about it, its pretty logical. The tropical climate in Bangalore would have been disastrous for painted walls, and the sandstone walls a la Lutyens Delhi, would have just leached away over time.

Going to the library, for some last minute cramming

The fact that the Institute is in full-bloom most of the time, is I think one of the greatest attractions for all the exchange students, and seeing all the foliage, it doesn’t take long for them to start monkeying around… in places like Haridwar for the weekend! Imagine!

The point of this pic: The greenery in the background.

A few times during the year, the Institue hosts meals for the entire campus, at what is mysteriously known as the Whispering Teaks (The teaks part I get, but whispering! That is too much!) But discounting the buzzing fauna (which might sometimes land in your plate unnoticed), its quite nice to have the occasional lunches and dinners under the sky.

Whispering Teaks

If the L^2 wasn’t enough for all our dancing needs, we use more disused sporting facilities (the JSS, or now the SS is going to kill me for this) for our very frequent parties. The Diwali night was held at the tennis court, (the firecrackers were blasted into outer space from our freshly laid cricket pitch) where now every evening, 2 determined souls try and drill the rudiments of tennis into somewhat unwilling students.

Our tennis court

You must have realised by now, our beautiful campus makes for amazing photo-ops – which of course doesn’t go to waste very often. One of the few things that I kept on hearing from my seniors is their love for the campus. Junta who have studied here, will have memorable moments, but will definitely treasure them more because of the awe-inspiring beauty here.

Sec A rocks!

Combine all this with one of the most efficient cleaning forces in India, who keep scrubbing the campus inside out, day and night, the campus is a damn good place to be in at any time of the year. The weather in Bangalore is simbly heavenlly, so, all those facchas who want to chill: IIMB is the place to B!

hi nice piece of work, i wish i get chance to study at IIMB…. but how much i can make there is not known to me but i m definately charge up by reading ur acticle.. coz will be to have party once in a while if i make there…:)
nice keep it up